March Challenge: Decide on a System/Solution

This week I took my worksheet from last Thursday's post and created a solution for each item. I simply used a piece of lined paper to do this and put them in order by annoyance level. Here's my list.

My biggest realization is that I want to go digital as much as possible. I think it's going to be killer for me, but I'm going to try it. I absolutely love pen and paper for everything, but recently I've been wishing so many things were available via cell phone/internet when I'm not at home. So for these things (meal planning/grocery lists/bills/etc.) I'm going to attempt to digitize myself. We'll see how it goes. {Now, I know this is not an option for everyone, so don't think you have to just because I am. I'm not saying you should, it's just what I'm choosing to do.}

For more ideas on conquering paper clutter, please visit these two posts from last October's Paper Challenge: conquer paper clutter / my favorite paper clutter organizers.

These solutions I came up with are going to need reminding for the next few weeks, so I'm going to leave this list on my desk, where most of my paper clutter accumulates. I'm happy to say that my paper basket has been empty for the last few days. I've been doing a good job...so far.

My absolute favorite solution that I came up with is for my school/work papers. I'm going to scan everything that I can and recycle the originals. So many of the things I have from other teachers and from college are great resources, but not necessarily things I'm going to use right now. If I can scan everything and save it on my PC as a PDF, it will make things so much more manageable - and accessible from home and school. Genius.

I would love to hear about your paper clutter realizations (what you found comes in your home and annoys the heck out of you) and your solutions.

March Challenge: Sentimental Paper

One topic that I have received several emails and comments regarding is sentimental paper (cards, letters, etc.). So many people have a hard time letting go because they link the physical item with the person who gave it, and if they throw it away, it's like throwing a part of the person away or offensive in some way.

{source}

I, personally, do not have this issue of wondering what to keep and what to get rid of (or how to handle/organize keeping it). When I was a child I would keep a shoebox full of all of the cards I was given with the gift that I received from each person written on the back. One day I just decided to throw them all out. For me, it was so freeing. No more lost storage space due to cards that I never looked at. Now I know for some of you it's not that easy and maybe you like keeping these things. If you do, don't let me stop you. I'm not saying you shouldn't keep these things, I'm just saying it's not for me.

Here is a response I gave to a reader via email last November. She asked if I had any suggestions on controlling and organizing the sentimental papers that were overtaking her basement and storage space.


What you're dealing with is very common. Many people, including my husband, have a hard time parting with sentimental things. Know that you're not alone and there's nothing "wrong" with you (which is how people tend to feel when they become overwhelmed with the sentimental clutter that takes over their space). 

When I was in high school I kept shoeboxes of notes, cards, drawings, etc., thinking it would help me hold on to memories. More than anything, it just frustrated me to see how many boxes I kept accruing since I'm such an organized person. I decided to take time to sit down and really go through things, questioning why I was keeping them and what good they were doing for me, personally, by keeping them. 

Here are some tips: 

• Ask yourself, "why am I keeping this?" It's understandable to want to keep something from someone who is deceased, but do you really need to keep every single card they've sent you during their lifetime? If you feel that you can let go of even one, you're on the right path. You need to understand why you're keeping each thing - are you afraid someone will be offended, that you'll lose a part of someone or something (such as a memory)? I know it's hard to just let go, but if it's going to sit in a box until you decide to "go through the box" every year, what good is it doing for you personally? It seems to be causing you more stress than anything since you want to let go of some of it. 
• Scan letters/cards into a PDF document on your computer and save things digitally. You can organize things by category this way and eliminate the physical clutter in your home. If you're willing to part with the physical item, this may be a good option. Just know that this can cause major digital clutter though. 
• While things have meaning, the problem comes when you feel bombarded with so much stuff that you can't move forward in your life and are fearful of taking the next step. So toss mindfully. Start small - even if it's only a handful of stuff at a time. Grab what you can, take it to another area of the house/room and start to sort and decide what you want to do. It's okay to be undecided, and if that's the case, take a break, think it over, and then make a decision. When sorting through your small pile, sort everything first before taking a break. That way you don't come back and decide to take a break after each item. 
• Set time aside to organize each week - even if it's only 15 minutes. If you can do this, you'll know each week that the time is coming, and you can prepare yourself for what you're about to do. It will mentally help you prepare for looking at these sentimental items. 
• This may be obvious, but stop buying more boxes. When you do this, you're telling yourself it's okay to keep everything and add more to it when you increase the box size. Decide how much you think is acceptable to keep - one box, two boxes? Once you make this decision, remove the extra boxes as they become empty. 
• Journal about your purging experience or have someone help you through the process (unless it's someone who is equally or more sentimental about these things, then it will just make things harder for you). Expressing your emotions through a difficult task can be liberating - just like having someone supportive there to help you go through things. 
• Ask yourself, "why do I want to free myself from this clutter?" Do you need the space? Does it bother you that you're keeping it? Is someone pressuring you to get rid of it? It's so important to know why you've decided to get rid of it. This will help you evaluate why and how to let things go. 
• I understand not wanting to scrapbook. It's not for everyone. But are there things you have stored that you'd like to display? You can use shadowboxes or picture frames to display things. I once saw letters displayed in picture frames that a woman's grandparents wrote back and forth to each other during a war - it was very sweet and she chose just a few to display as a picture gallery. 
• If you can part with the physical things, you could always take pictures of items or scan letters/cards (as I suggested above) and create a book through a photo company such as Snapfish or Shutterfly with photos of your items. I've suggested this to some parents who want to keep their child's artwork, but have become overwhelmed by the amount that comes home every year. It's a great way to remember what the child has done (or in your case, what you don't want to let go), without keeping the physical item. 
• If you're going to choose to store items, especially paper, I would suggest using plastic boxes. It keeps out the moisture and insects that may be destructive to what you're storing. 
• Reward yourself when you've completed your organizational task. Seriously. Purging sentimental items is hard. You need to do something good for yourself afterwards to reassure yourself that what you did was the right thing. 

Last July I wrote a post about organizing your child's school work & art. Check the post out here.

For more tips on storing/organizing sentimental papers, check out these posts from other blogs/websites:

• Simple Mom - What To Do With Old Cards & Letters
• iHeart Organizing - Greetings! How We Organize Holiday Cards
• iHeart Organizing - School Paperwork Storage

It's totally up to you as to whether or not you keep your sentimental papers, but if you consider it "clutter" you may want to give it some real thought was to why you're keeping these things. I'd love for you to share how you store/organize your sentimental papers if you keep them. I know there are a lot of reader's out there looking for organization suggestions in this area.

Have 10 Minutes? Declutter Your Entryway

Have 10 minutes today? Declutter your entryway or mudroom.

I decided it was time to go through the coats and sweatshirts we had out and hang some in the closet and donate some. I put away shoes (I keep my work flats in my closet and everything else goes on the shoe tree - which I must say I strongly dislike, but Chris demands we keep). I put away the big bag of dog treats. I even gave it a quick vacuum. Much better.

Take 10 minutes today to declutter this area of your home and feel better each time you leave or come in your home.

Pinterest: You Have My Permission to Pin

With all of the latest hoopla about Pinterest and what's okay to pin and what's not, I wanted to say right now, go ahead and pin away with things that are on my blog. If I have pictures posted that are not mine, meaning they're from another blog or any pictures that don't have my photo stamp (blog name), please click through to the original post and pin from there. If you don't do this, then technically that's photo copyright infringement, even though I'm linking directly to the source in the post. It's a misrepresentation if someone pins a photo that does not belong to me from my blog. Seriously - it takes 10 seconds (if you have an average internet connection) to click the source link and repin from the original post.

There is also a "Pin It" button at the bottom of every post now. =]

On another note, I created a Paper Clutter Solved board tonight. Everything on this board is paper clutter busting related.

New to Pinterest? Read my Pinterest Tips post and follow me on Pinterest (home/organization account :: education account)!

March Challenge: How Long Do I Need To Keep It?

One reason that paper clutter overtakes our life and home is because we simply don't know when to get rid of things. From receipts to paycheck stubs, so many of us aren't sure what's okay to throw away immediately and what we need to keep for months to years.

I did some research and found several websites that seem to agree with what to keep and for how long. Due to copyright, I can't copy the information into this post, but I can give you the links to view the information.

• Lifehack - How to Free Yourself from Paper Clutter
• Consumer Reports - Conquer the Paper Piles: What Documents to Keep, What You Can Toss - and When
• Consumer Reports - Where to Keep, When to Toss Documents
• Buttoned Up - Free Checklist: How Long To Keep Financial Records

Each year, after I complete my tax return, I go through my filing cabinet and clear it out. I get rid of old paycheck stubs I no longer need, clear out old files that have been updated, and sometimes will totally digitize some things and get rid of the file completely. I prefer to scan documents and keep them digitally as much as possible. When I file papers throughout the year, I only do that - I put the papers where they belong and don't clear out any oldies. I really don't accumulate that much over a year, so it works for me. All of my paychecks are now 100% electronic, including the stubs. It is SO nice. I sign up for electronic correspondence whenever possible for my bills, insurance, etc. Being that I'm 24 and haven't had the time to accumulate a lot of paper or become attached to a certain way of doing things, I don't keep a lot. I'm sure if I had been keeping things one way for years, it would be hard for me to change to something completely different. People are generally afraid of change, and that's understandable. If you think you'd like to switch the way you do things and go digital, try it with one thing first (such as your electric bill or your car insurance). See how it works out for you for 6 months, and if it's too much of a change, then go back to paper. If you like it and it's more manageable, begin to switch other things over as well. Then you don't have to worry how long to keep things. They'll all be kept for you in your account - or can be saved on an external hard drive (so things are backed up). I'll be covering how I categorize my filing cabinet sometime this month.

Wondering what you need to keep a physical paper file of? Check out this Infographic titled "The 25 Documents You Need Before You Die" from The Wall Street Journal (click on it to view it bigger).

Source: online.wsj.com via Tiffany on Pinterest

On a side note - last week I went to a 2-day technology/education conference. It was fun, but I came home with a bunch of paper clutter. They gave us a folder full of info that I know I'd regret just throwing away without looking at. When I got home I emptied the folder and discarded the stuff I knew I didn't need. The things I wanted to keep to read over I put back in the folder and put in my "to do" basket. The things I wanted to keep long term, such as program tutorials, I put in my "scan" file in my mail station...which has now become my "to-do station". I'm glad that I'm actually following through and not making my paper clutter worse. =]

Did you download the identify paper clutter document last Thursday? If not, get it here. You can also simply just make your own list on a blank piece of paper if you don't want to print it. If you have the list made up by Thursday, then you'll be ready for the next part of the challenge.